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CD-ROM Aktief 1995 #3
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SHEEP.TXT
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1995-03-13
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VegSocUK Information Sheet
THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY
___________________________________
SHEEP
There are around 44 million sheep in the UK national flock including about 50
pure breeds and 300 crossbreeds. Over 22 million are lambs under one year of
age whilst 17 million are breeding ewes. Most sheep are slaughtered as lambs.
Whilst sheep appear to have been less affected by intensive farming practices
compared with other farm animals their rearing can still involve considerable
suffering and welfare problems.
SHEEP PRODUCTION
Ewes are first mated in their first or second years. Ewes naturally come into
heat in autumn or winter and gestation period is about five months meaning
lambs are born in spring or summer when the weather is warmer and grass is
growing. However this can be altered by controlled breeding with ewes being
brought into heat by administering hormones. This means lambs can be born
throughout the year providing a constant supply to market.
Rams are usually from special breeding farms. A single ram will usually serve
30 to 60 ewes. Artificial insemination is uncommon in sheep though new
techniques are being developed to make it more efficient.
Ewes generally lamb once/year though selective breeding has meant some can
lamb twice/year. Breeding has also encouraged ewes to have twins or triplets
rather than a single lamb. If a ewe has only a single lamb the unborn lamb
may grow too large to pass through the narrow birth canal, sheep having been
bred to be smaller. Many farmers may choose to cut the front legs off the
live lamb whilst still in the womb. This is called embryotomy and is carried
out to avoid having to pay a vet to perform a caesarian. The practice is
widespread and more than 50 000 lambs are believed to be killed in this
manner during the lambing season.
Around 4 million lambs die each year. Exposure, hypothermia, starvation and
disease account for most of these. Sometimes there may be too many lambs in
the flock (due to multiple births or the death of ewes.) These orphan lambs
may be auctioned at markets at only a few days old. These lambs are
especially prone to disease and mortality is high. 35 000 orphan lambs are
sent to market during the lambing season.
A trend towards intensification means lambs are weaned earlier, fed on milk
substitute and feed concentrates and housed indoors. Indoor housing has lead
to increasing disease problems including coccidiosis, watery mouth and sheep
lice.
Male lambs are castrated before three months old. The commonest method is by
the application of a tight rubber ring cutting off the blood supply.
Castration can occur without anaesthetic in lambs up to three months provided
the ring is applied within the first week of life. The Farm Animal Welfare
Council (FAWC) stated in 1992 that castration by means of a rubber ring
causes considerably greater pain than the alternative clamping method which
is sometimes used. Acute pain lasts for several hours following application
of the ring. Sometimes castration may be performed surgically using a knife.
Again, this can be carried out without anaesthetic or a vet being present.
Tail docking of lambs may also occur without anaesthetic.
Between 15 - 25% of ewes are culled each year because of lameness, poor
health or failing to lamb. These are replaced in the flock. Flock stocking
densities are steadily increasing. This is causing environmental problems in
upland areas as overgrazing by sheep leads to loss of vegetation and soil
erosion.
In common with other farm animals, sheep suffer from a wide range of
diseases. The commonest is foot-rot which often results in lameness. Foot-rot
is encouraged by a high stocking density in housing and pens. Lameness can
also be caused by other infectious diseases and is a major welfare problem in
sheep.
Sheep scab and myiasis (blowfly strike) are distressing and potentially fatal
contagious diseases in sheep. These are prevented by sheep dipping. Sheep
dipping was made compulsory twice a year in 1985 but made non-compulsory
again in 1992. Sheep dips contain toxic organophosphates which are believed
to be responsible for a high incidence of severe illness in farmers. The
possible toxic effects of sheep dips on the sheep themselves has not been
studied.
Other diseases affecting sheep include mastitis, toxoplasmosis, liver fluke
and scrapie (related to BSE in cattle.) Many sheep suffer from pneumonia and
hypothermia during the winter when exposed to harsh weather conditions. This
is a particular problem for sheep in upland areas. Around 40% of sheep in the
UK live in hard upland conditions where winter hand feeding is restricted and
shelter minimal.
Some sheep are housed indoors during the winter in enclosed sheds or barns.
These may be poorly lit with concrete or slatted floors.
TRANSPORT & SLAUGHTER
Sheep may be transported considerable distances to slaughter. Over 1.3
million sheep and lambs were exported live in 1992 and this figure is
predicted to increase to between 2.5 and 3.5 million in 1993. 82% of live
sheep are exported to France.
Sheep are crammed into lorries so tightly packed that they may be unable to
turn around or lie down. They may be exposed to extreme weather conditions.
Heatstroke, hypothermia and pneumonia are common. Journeys can last 24 hours
or more during which time the sheep are neither fed or watered. This is
extremely distressing for the animals and mortality is high.
In Britain, most sheep go to slaughter via markets rather than direct from
the farm. This can increase the stress animals experience as well as
increasing the incidence of injury. Over 19 million sheep were slaughtered in
the UK in 1992. Over 90% of these were lambs of varying ages.
Sheep are slaughtered by electrical stunning followed by neck-cutting.
Stunning may often be ineffective and sheep may regain consciousness during
bleeding-out or even before throat-slitting. Stunning by firing a captive
bolt into the animals head is regarded as a more effective method but is not
often used in British abattoirs due to being more costly.
MULESING AND TOOTH-GRINDING
Mulesing and tooth-grinding of sheep is prohibited in the UK but is
widespread elsewhere, especially in Australia and New Zealand. Much of the
lamb consumed and wool used in Britain is imported from these countries.
Australia is the world's leading sheep producer and exporter with a national
flock of an estimated 135 million sheep. Mortality is high, at around 8
million sheep/year. Around 100 million sheep suffer from mulesing each year.
Mulesing involves the slicing away of folds of skin from beneath the sheep's
tail which forms a wool-free scar and so prevents blowfly strike (blowflies
laying their eggs in the damp wool and the larvae eating into the flesh of
the living sheep.) This is carried out without anaesthetic and causes severe
and prolonged pain. Mulesing is carried out because it is seen as being
cheaper and easier than alternatives such as regular shearing of wool.
Tooth-grinding of older sheep is also routine. Tooth-grinding is supposed to
reduce the number of ewes prematurely culled due to broken teeth. It involves
a rotary stone cutting machine to slice off the ewe's front teeth through the
pulp almost down to the gum. In the UK, tooth-grinding was carried out by a
less severe method involving shortening the front teeth with less likelihood
of cutting through sensitive tissue. However, this practice is now illegal in
the UK.
WOOL
Wool production in the UK tends to be a by-product of the meat industry, the
wool produced being of low quality. Wool accounts fo